Hindsight
by keysandhearts
Summary: Naruto had never intended to see Sasuke again, let alone fall for him. Now with the future in the balance, fate and choice become hopelessly intertwined as Naruto struggles against impossible odds to win Sasuke back or lose his chance forever. NaruSasuNaru


Author's Note: I had some trouble with my new account so I'm posting this under my old name (Info for those of you who've already read this chapter). I'll repost the second chapter sometime next week. This really sucks since I lost the reviews from all those who reviewed previously. This is dedicated to all of you who previously reviewed. I wouldn't even be bothering to repost this if it weren't for you :D

**Hindsight**

**Chapter 1: The Calm Before**

Seven hundred years after the death of the Hero of Konoha, after the Time of Peace had ended and fact had passed into legend; eight men and one woman sat, stood, or perched around a stone table.

Carved into the stone was an intricate and highly detailed spiral, starting from the center and working its way outward to where elbows were propped and nervous fingers clenched tightly to five inch wide granite edges. The table itself was a legend, and had been whispered about, rumored about, and finally scoffed at as a myth for more years than any of the people present cared to recognize. It had been hammered out from the Hokage mountain of Konoha, shaped by the ninjitsu of the Earth nation, its design carved by the legendary Fifth Kazekage of Suna himself, and the edges smoothed and defined by both the ninja of Mist and Cloud.

It was the table on which, more than seven hundred years previously, Kage from every nation plus one Naruto Uzumaki had ironed out a peace treaty between them that would hold for more than a century.

How the table had ended up in a small but airy room in the farthest reaches of the Grass Country none of them cared to speculate. The table, while a symbol of that legendary and awe-inspiring moment in history, was currently not the focal point. Instead all eyes had turned to the quiet young man in the corner of the room.

He had propped himself against the farthest wall nearest to the sliding paper door as if at any moment ready to make his escape. Frustrated tan fingers ran through long blond spikes and his piercing blue eyes were closed tightly against the weight of the others' stares.

The room was silent, everyone waiting for some reaction from the teenage boy whose arms were crossed over his chest in a posture more defensive than casual.

"Why?" The question was posed with the barest expulsion of breath, and although spoken quietly, was heard by all even without straining. It was not an unexpected question under the circumstances.

No one answered him for a full minute before the young man stirred, bringing his crossed arms down to his sides where fists clenched until knuckles stood out white against his tan.

"Why?" he asked again. His eyes flew open, a startling heart-stopping blue, intense and somewhat derisive as they stared back at the men and one woman surrounding the table.

One of the men stirred from his regal pose on the farthest side of the table, and even in the brightness of the room he had somehow managed to find the only spot where a shadow had cast itself diagonally across his face. Still, sharp blue eyes didn't miss the long tail of black hair tied back at the nape, or the piercing black eyes set into a marble white complexion.

"You know why," the man finally said. Itachi's voice had always been black magic, as dark and deep as any sorcerer's and just as dangerous.

"No, Itachi, I don't. Explain it to me. Explain why he has to be involved at all."

"You can't protect him forever, Naruto. You know this."

The blond boy swallowed tightly, his fists still clenched forcefully enough to cause half moon impressions to be imprinted into his palms. "He's been fine. **We've** been fine. He doesn't need me there. Why can't we just let him be, let him—?"

"Naruto." Minato said quietly, identical blue eyes trained on him as that one word managed to halt his son's almost desperate attempt to keep his life from spinning away from him.

"Father, I don't…can't—"

"You can." The assertion was spoken by another young man sitting directly across the table from Itachi, red hair and green eyes and the red Kanji for love tattooed across his forehead.

Naruto's eyes swung to him. "Gaara, you don't understand. You don't know what this means to me. I've done my damndest to stay away from him, to just leave him alone, to let him finally have a chance at a normal life…and now all of you expect me to—"

"Yes, we do." Nagato pushed back auburn bangs from his forehead, purple eyes trained on him as he spoke. "He must be given the choice."

Naruto gave one huffing breath before his eyes narrowed dangerously. "He was given the choice. He rejected it. The dreams came to him, like they did to me and to all of you, and he chose to ignore them. I won't force myself back into his life when he doesn't want me there. I chased him down before, spent my whole life trying to make him see the truth."

"Try harder," Itachi said.

Naruto started forward, restrained violence and frustration evident as his face tightened and his blue eyes flared. "What about you, Itachi? Why have you allowed him to ignore the dreams for so long if it's so fucking important? You're closer to him than any of us."

Itachi leaned forward over the table, elbows propping themselves there as he brought his fingertips together in seeming contemplation. "It was never supposed to be me, Naruto. My position in his life now is inconsequential."

Naruto growled low under his breath, the non-answer doing nothing to appease his frustration.

Tsunade, the only woman in the room, gave a large sigh, her ample bosom rising and falling with the hasty breath before she spoke. "Listen, brat. You think I don't understand how you feel? None of us wanted this for you. If it were up to us you'd be out there living a normal hormonal teenage life. But you know that's not possible. And knowing that, why is it okay for _him_ to lead a normal life and not you?"

"Because he deserves it!" Naruto yelled, finally losing his temper. "He went through hell the last time and now you expect me to put him back in it. Fuck that, I won't do it!"

"A hell of his own making," Kakashi averred. "He always had the choice, Naruto. Back then and now."

"And what if he goes mad again, then what? Has it never occurred to you that he blocked out the dreams for a reason? Maybe he can't handle it."

"Now you're doing him a disservice," Itachi said, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his chair. "He's stronger than you think."

"Is he?" Gaara asked.

Itachi opened his eyes to stare back at the redhead. If his eyes had been kunai, Gaara would've been dead.

"Enough." Jiraiya's legs straddled his chair, his arms propped against the high back as he rested his chin on top of them. He contemplated his former student for a moment more before a smile lifted his mouth, causing small wrinkles to appear beside his eyes. His smile dimmed after a moment of staring into Naruto's glare and he heaved a sighing breath. "Listen. We're not asking you to push yourself into his life, just to be there when he's finally ready to talk. Keep an eye on him; make sure he's not being influenced. His refusal to acknowledge anything about the dreams has made him defenseless. Is that what you want? For him to be vulnerable and alone?"

Naruto wanted to argue, had opened his mouth to do so, but then he stopped suddenly. No, it wasn't what he wanted. Naruto wanted to see him again, needed to know that he was alright, whole, and happy.

"I'll only screw it up again," he muttered, blue eyes trained down on his sneakered feet. He could feel everyone in the room watching him again, a heavy pressure that left him frozen in the moment.

"I don't think it could get any worse than what happened last time, Uzumaki," Gaara said, leaning forward to rest his chin upon folded hands.

"The name is Namikaze now, Gaara, not Uzumaki. And that makes me feel so much better. Especially since the last time I saw him I—"

Naruto cut himself off, biting his lip before heaving out a frustrated sigh.

"Exactly. It was as bad as it could get last time. In comparison now there is little risk involved." Gaara paused before continuing. "And you'll always be Uzumaki to me, Naruto."

Naruto's glare softened only slightly but Kakashi spoke before they could begin arguing. "You need to remember what's at stake here," he said. "This isn't only about the two of you." Kakashi's gaze swung pointedly to where an old man sat hunched with his eyes closed, head down, and breathing even, as if he was meditating or taking a small nap. Without opening his eyes, the old man spoke.

"I won't pressure you into this, Naruto. We all have to be free to make our own choices, even when they're the wrong ones," Hiruzen Sarutobi said wearily.

Naruto flushed guiltily. He had forgotten what this meant to the old man. He owed this to Sarutobi, even though none of this was fair. No, none of it was—not the fact that he had to do this entire thing over again because he had seemingly screwed it up the first time. Or that he had to push himself once again where he wasn't wanted. Or that Sarutobi's son, Asuma, had been captured and was currently being held Kami-sama knew where.

He swallowed hard once, thought about how no one else could do it, that this was his responsibility for better or worse because he'd failed before—not once, but over and over again. Failed to bring him back. Failed to stop him, to keep him from going mad and finally self-destructing. No need to make others pay for what he'd done.

He had failed also to destroy the Masked One. Had weakened him, yes. Even with the power of the eight other tailed-beasts, he had fallen short against the combined power of the Sage and the Kyuubi. It still hadn't been enough to destroy him forever. An endless cycle until he got it right.

Naruto had wanted to keep Sasuke out of this but the others wouldn't let him. Fate wouldn't let him

(Oh, how Neji would've laughed at that, right before giving him that cool look and then telling him to get over it)

and he wanted to see his former friend (_enemy_) so badly he could hardly stay away.

"I'll do it." A mixture of reactions from the others met his assertion, ranging from satisfaction to worry. He was so steeped in his thoughts that he didn't even notice. His feet moved on their own, took him past the brightness of the room into the shadows of the doorway where he slid the shoji open, walking quietly out without glancing back.

"Manipulation at its best," Jiraiya said with a sardonic smile as he watched Naruto's retreating back.

"No," Gaara said, his face a perfect porcelain mask. "Uzumaki wants to do this. We wouldn't have convinced him otherwise. There are no limits to the lengths he will go to for his friends."

"Dangerous," Itachi said, his eyes still on the doorway where Naruto had disappeared. "It's what makes him so dangerous. And so weak."

"No, not weak," Nagato disagreed. He glanced at Itachi from beneath his bangs, swept them to the side only to have them fall right back in front of his eyes before continuing. "Naruto's strength has always been his friends. Hesitation has been his only weakness, and only when it comes to—"

"My brother." Itachi's black eyes closed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Yes," Kakashi agreed. "Only Sasuke. Friend or enemy. The distinction in this case is almost nonexistent."

"He'll do it because he has to." Minato finally said quietly. "Whether you believe it or not, he knows what's at stake." The utter faith with which he said the words was both reassuring and worrying.

* * *

The walk to Sasuke's school was a short one from his home. The Uchiha compound was large, more than a block long with high roofs and long windows, each building appearing similar to the next. Sakura trees lined the promenade toward his school, their branches bare now that winter was approaching. He scarcely noticed, his gaze instead centered unseeingly on the pavement in front of him.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke didn't turn around or acknowledge the greeting as he continued walking until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, I said to wait up!" Suigetsu was out of breath, rose tinting his pale cheeks and complementing his purple eyes as he leaned over in order to catch his breath.

Sasuke ignored him for the most part, the only acknowledgment of the other's presence the fact that he paused in stride.

"I've been calling you for five minutes. Why did you ignore me?" Suigetsu peered into Sasuke's eyes but gave a sigh as he rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess that's just like you."

"You're early," Sasuke said. Suigetsu grinned sharply.

"Yeah, I know. You always leave early for school and I thought this might be my only chance to talk to you today. You always disappear during lunch and after school."

"H'n. You just want to copy my physics homework."

"That too."

Sasuke turned and adjusted the pack across his right shoulder before shoving his hands into his uniform pockets. He began walking again and Suigetsu followed, every now and then glancing at Sasuke's inscrutable face. His friend looked like he hadn't slept well, shadows marring his perfect marble complexion and throwing his black eyes into sharp relief.

"What's up? Get into another argument with your father? Or was it Itachi?"

Sasuke didn't answer, didn't even pause to acknowledge the questions as he continued to stare down at the pavement beneath his sneakers. It was true, though. He hadn't slept well the night before. Faded nightmares still lingered even hours after waking. He always felt so cold after nights like the one he'd just had. Even scalding showers didn't do away with the chill that had settled deep inside of him.

"You shouldn't let them get to you," Suigetsu continued, as if Sasuke had actually answered him. "I know you're an Uchiha and they expect a lot out of you but you're already number one in our class. You're a shoe-in for the Police Academy next year. What the hell else do they want you to be?"

"Itachi," Sasuke answered wryly.

"Yeah, yeah, your perfect brother. Perfection is boring and you're close enough to that already."

Sasuke didn't reply and Suigetsu knew enough not to push. Sasuke could be temperamental, especially when it came to Itachi whom he both hated and worshipped. Even mentioning his older brother's name some days was enough to keep Sasuke angry for days. If Sasuke had ever flown into a temper, kicked something, showed some outward signs of rage that would've been one thing. But no, his anger was always icy: his eyes becoming cold black marbles in his otherwise blank face.

"You applied for the Academy yet?"

"No."

"What? But the application period ends in a few weeks! I thought you applied months ago!"

"No."

Fugaku Uchiha expected no less than perfection from both of his sons, even if he never expected Sasuke to reach the level of Itachi. He was always impatient with his younger son, wanted him to be obedient to his will but also expected him to stand up and be a man. It was impossible most days to manage both.

His father was always disappointed when Sasuke just went along with what was expected of him. Fugaku acted as if he wasn't trying hard enough, didn't care enough, or wasn't strong enough. His brother was far more rebellious than he, yet Fugaku seemed to respect him for it. When Sasuke tried to fight back it was met with instant disapproval and a cold disappointment that froze him to his very core. Sasuke knew why. His heart never went into his defiance. Not like Itachi, who managed to both disagree and mean it.

Sasuke's latest defiance was his tardiness in his application for the Academy. For the last week his father had alternated between icy lectures and giving him the cold shoulder, and just like before, Sasuke's heart wasn't in it. But at least his father's attention for the moment was focused on him and not Itachi. Cold anger he could tolerate; indifference he couldn't.

But domestic troubles aside it was the dreams that were driving him mad. Dreams of war and death, destruction, pain, despair and agony—all of the images blending into a hot molten core of hatred buried so deep in his gut so that when he finally awoke it was with his heart beating like a piston and his face frozen into a snarl of rage.

And then there was _**him**_. The boy with the bluest eyes he had ever seen.

"Yo, Sasuke! Snap out it!" A hand pulled him abruptly forward, jerking him onto the sidewalk as a car honked loudly from the road where he'd just been standing. Sasuke looked up to see his friend frowning at him with a mixture of suspicion and concern.

"What the hell's wrong with you, man? You just stopped right in the middle of the damn street!"

Sasuke was embarrassed by his own inattention but determined not to show it. His normally pale face was waxen and the skin there was stretched over tightly drawn features. Sleepless nights were beginning to take their toll and most days he found it hard to focus.

If only he could get the dreams to stop! He hadn't had any of those dreams since he was very little, before he learned how to place a wall around his subconscious. For years the method had worked, and he had spent most of life sleeping without dreaming at all.

But now for the last two weeks, every night like clockwork, the dreams came to him. Inexorable and relentless, as if all this time they'd been trapped behind a thin wall of glass that had shattered, leaving a ragged hole behind that allowed the nightmares to pour into his conscious mind like a tidal wave.

"Whatever. Let's go. Didn't you say you needed to borrow my physics homework?" Sasuke asked coolly.

Predictably the distraction worked and Suigetsu grimaced before he nodded and continued walking. Sasuke watched his friend's retreating back for a moment more before following.

The newly built Konoha Academy looked more like a prison than a school. Composed of long buildings with small rectangular windows all done in pale gray stone, the Academy seemed to absorb the light of the late autumn sun. Tall winding strands of ivy wrapped around the sides of the buildings, adding the only color available to an otherwise dull landscape. All around the school ran a chain link fence topped with barbed wire.

Whether the fence was there to keep possible threats out or to keep the students in was anyone's guess.

The place was abnormally quiet for a school, and from the outside would have appeared completely deserted except for the full parking lot filled with standard government-issue cars. Students were "encouraged" to participate in carpools to get to campus unless they lived within walking distance. As to the fact that the Academy appeared little more than a post-apocalyptic ghost town, new school rules stated that no student was allowed to be caught loitering outside during school hours. By the time the first school bell rang everyone was quiet and in their seats.

Sasuke observed all of this from his desk on the right side of the room. His assigned seat had fortuitously landed him next to the only window. This was in large part due to the fact that his reputation as a good student had the teacher assuming he would be less inclined to spend the class period staring out the window. Less fortuitous was the constant draft that seemed to emanate from the small pane of glass, and yet today he was grateful for the chill. The cold might help to keep him awake through the hour and a half lecture. Falling asleep during class could cost him a week having to attend afterschool _conditioning_. The thought was repugnant.

He glanced to his right to where Suigetsu was seated, noting the small scowl on his face and the restless tapping of his number two pencil against the side of his desk. His classmate had a hard time sitting still for five minutes let alone an hour and a half. Block scheduling had however become an unfortunate necessity, especially given the Academy's sudden shortage of staff due to the previous year's misfortune.

"Attention all students. Attention all students." The PA system speakers emitted a garbled electric buzzing noise before the monotone voice continued. "Annual Memorial Day services will be held tomorrow at 8:15 sharp. Students are encouraged to arrive half an hour before the ceremony begins. Transportation will be provided to those who need it. Any other questions should be directed to Student Social Services. In addition, curfew will be in effect from today starting at 5pm. Any student caught outside after curfew without written consent from the proper authorities will be penalized."

A few students were brave or stupid enough to give voice to their displeasure but were quickly hushed by their neighbors.

Professor Hatake gave a pointed stare from his position at the head of the room to underlie his earlier command for silence. He was more lenient than most of the other teachers. Any disobedience was normally met with the strictest discipline.

The students stirred restlessly in their seats but were quiet until the PA system gave a last dying electric crackle then went silent.

Professor Hatake spoke for the first time since the announcements had begun. "Alright, class, let's get started. We have a lot of material to get through today since we won't be having class tomorrow. But before we start I have one final announcement. We'll be receiving a couple of visitors from Security Intelligence this morning. I expect you all to show respect by behaving above reproach."

Sasuke felt his shoulders tense as his stomach sank. That could only mean one thing.

_Itachi._

Suigetsu was staring at him from his seat next to him with barely concealed concern but Sasuke ignored him. Since the previous year's tragedy Itachi and his partner had been frequent visitors to the Academy. Their stated reason for their recurrent visits was school safety but everyone knew the truth. Itachi was a part of the Dangerous Persons Apprehension Task Force or DPATF, which specialized in the questioning and apprehension of illegal jutsu users. After today one or more students wouldn't be coming back to the Academy.

And everyone knew it. The students were frozen in their seats like automatons, their eyes glued impassively to the grease board at the front of the room. No one made a sound. There was no creaking of seats or rustling of paper, only the tick-tock of the clock on the wall above Professor Hatake's head.

"What the hell is up with this school? It's like a damn tomb!"

At the unexpected outburst all eyes shot to the doorway to where a boy stood poised with his legs wide apart and his arms crossed over his chest. He was dressed in civilian clothes, a t-shirt in the most garish shade of orange Sasuke had ever seen and a pair of black jeans with a studded black belt. All-in-all, it was the antithesis of the standard Academy uniform. He noted vaguely the presence of yellow hair cut in long spikes and a tan complexion before the strange boy spoke again.

"Where do I park it?"

"Excuse me?" Professor Hatake asked coldly.

"Where do I sit?" The boy asked again slowly, as if he was sure the teacher had a hearing problem or was too stupid to understand a simple question.

"Who are you exactly?"

The boy's backpack hit the tile floor with a dull thud as he placed his hands akimbo while thrusting out his chest.

"Namikaze. Naruto Namikaze." He turned his head to stare straight at Sasuke, and for a moment it was like there was no one else in the room, as if this stranger had been speaking to him and him alone.

Sasuke's final thought a second later as his head cracked open in pain and darkness descended was—

_He has the bluest eyes I've ever seen._

* * *

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